Desert Moon (The Wolves of Twin Moon Ranch Book 1) (16 page)

Cody gave Lana another winning grin, then ambled off, leaving her and Ty alone. She caught her mate in a loose hug and leaned her forehead against his chest. God, it felt good to be so close. To know she’d never have to let go again.

“Throwing down a challenge, is he?” She managed, picturing the musty files the old alpha would be heaping on her desk soon enough.

Ty shook his head and pulled her flush against his body, ignoring the elders filing past. “He’s already sold on you, sweetheart. Not that he’ll admit it.” Then he released her and turned firmly in the direction of his house.

Our house
, he insisted, pulling her closer.

She slipped a hand into his back pocket as they walked side by side. Home. The sweetest four letter word ever. She could stay—not just as Ty’s mate, but in her own right.

“But no more work ‘til you’re fully healed,” he added.

This time, she didn’t mind the bossy tone one bit. “I am healed,” she insisted. “Or just about.”

“Well, no work until we’ve had some time for us.”

“That, my love, will never be enough.”

But hell, they’d certainly given it their best shot over the past days. In the cabin, up at his lookout, in every room of the house. And now they rolled slowly out of bed, still tingling from their lovemaking. They shifted and loped into the night, Ty’s long stride perfectly matching her quick footfalls. She was glad to work her stiff limbs and even gladder to be running side by side with her mate. The hushed voices coming from the desert on this moonlit night were no lies. Ty was her destined mate, all hers. Now and forever.

They nestled together on Ty’s hill and lifted their muzzles as one. To warm up, they let out a mournful howl that acknowledged the pain of the past, then moved on to a long, happy howl for the future, one that sang on and on into the night. Around them, the desert listened, maybe even shed a sentimental tear. Destiny was smiling on them, and she never wanted it to end.

Her lips curled in a canine grin as she squeezed closer to his side. There didn’t have to be an end.

This was only the beginning.

<<< >>>

Thank you so much for reading
Desert Moon!
The tale of Ty and Lana continues in
Desert Wolf
, a short story you can read for free—just turn the page! You can also read on for a sneak peek at the first two chapters of Cody’s story in
Desert Blood
: Book 2 in the Wolves of Twin Moon Ranch series.

Thank you so much for reading the story of Ty and Lana. I hope you enjoyed it and will leave a review on
Amazon
and/or
Goodreads
. Reviews help readers make informed choices, and they also help an independent author’s work reach a broader audience. For that reason, I am making a special LIMITED TIME OFFER: a free copy of Book Two in the series to any reader who leaves a review on Amazon or Goodreads. Just send me an email with a link to your review, and I’ll send you an advance copy of
Desert Blood
. You can email me at
[email protected]
or visit my website:
www.annalowebooks.com
.

If you’re not quite ready to let go of Ty and Lana, sign up for my
newsletter
to get news about special deals and new releases, plus a free copy of
Desert Wolf
, the short story that follows their happily-ever-after two years down the line. It’s a fun, sexy, and action-packed story—all yours here! And don’t worry: you’ll see a lot of Ty and Lana in the next books of this series—including (shhh!) a hot shaving scene in
Desert Blood
!

Read on for a sneak peek of Cody’s story in Book 2:
Desert Blood
.

Desert Moon
(Book 1)

Desert Wolf
(a short story)

Desert Blood
(Book 2)

Desert Fate
(Book 3)

Desert Heart
(Book 4)

Desert Hunt
(the Prequel)

Travel and Adventure Romances

Uncharted Waters

Uncharted Territory

Veiled Fantasies

Ocean Fantasies

www.annalowebooks.com

If you enjoyed this book, you'll love these wolf shifter romance tales by some of my favorite authors:

Claiming His Fate
by Ellis Leigh (Feral Breed Motorcycle Club series)

Tempted by the Pack
by Anne Marsh (Blue Moon Brides series)

Guardian Wolf
by J.K. Harper (Black Mesa Wolves series)

Full Moon Rising
by Amy Green (a serial)

Now read on for the first two chapters of Cody’s story in
Desert Blood
!

The Wolves of Twin Moon Ranch: Book 2

She's on the run—into the arms of forbidden love.

Heather Luth knows nothing about the paranormal world until one awful night changes everything. Now she’s on the run—straight into the arms of forbidden love. Her mind knows better than to fall for Cody Hawthorne’s sunny smile and mesmerizing voice, but her heart—and destiny—have other ideas.

On the surface, Cody is warm, witty, and fun, but beneath his carefree facade, Heather sees a real man struggling to break free. Day by day, Heather and Cody grow closer and closer, unable to resist their simmering passion—while day by day, a serial murderer closes in on his prey. Duty fights desire; fear wrestles trust as the human world clashes with the paranormal in a tale of forbidden love.

Fleeing wasn’t the hard part; knowing when to stop was. But how far was far enough? How fast?

Heather didn’t know. All she cared about was getting away. Red-eyed and bleary, stretched beyond exhaustion, she drove until the thick woods and hills of the East gave way to the infinite landscape of the West, with no plan but to get away from the beast who lusted after her blood.

She nearly rushed through this landscape entirely, a mere blip on a map she had long since given up on following. But from one mile to the next, the frantic urge to run was replaced by a warm, safe sensation, as if she’d flipped a shower tap from icy cold to blissfully hot. She let her dusty orange VW roll to a stop on the side of the road then got out and turned in a slow circle, scanning the scene. What was it about this place?

She watched the sun rise boldly over the high altitude desert, highlighting a razorback horizon wrinkled by time. A pale crescent moon hung low over the hills, dripping pale pink light on the brush below. All of it was perfumed by sage and pine, beargrass and buttercup. The grandeur of the scene spoke of time—eons of it, whispering on a breath of wind.

This. This was the place. Even with her eyes closed, Heather could feel the rightness of it. This place would become her home.

A falcon wheeled overhead, and its sharp cry split the air. Heather blinked, snapping herself back to reality. Wait—there was no home. There was only escape. But for now, this would have to do. No use in running blindly any more. She needed to make a plan, to think things through.

She forced in a deep, slow breath and tried to take stock. Cash was getting low, and she was afraid to use a card because that could be traced, right? And the man who’d attacked her—the monster who’d attacked her—was capable of anything.

She ran her hands over her arms, trying to still a shiver. She needed a plan. Soon.

No, she needed a plan right now. But what?

Work. A safe place. Those were the priorities. She needed to find work and lay low in a place as far off the beaten track as she could find.

A place like this.

She scanned the open, unfenced scrubland that no one seemed to claim as their own. What kind of teaching job would she ever find in the desert? Teaching was all she’d ever done, all she ever wanted to do.

But this wasn’t about wanting. This was about survival. She could wait tables, clean floors, whatever it took.

Heather took one more look around and nodded, making up her mind. If nothing else, this place was fitting. It was open, endless, and brutally honest. Death might be hovering out on the fringes, but at least it couldn’t sneak up on her here.

In her first decisive action since fleeing Pittsburgh, she slid back into the car, reached past the empty coffee cups on the passenger side floor, and dug out the map she hadn’t checked since Texas. Where was she, exactly? Somewhere in Arizona—that much she knew. But where?

She glanced up at the scenery, down at the map, and up again. There’d been a town a couple of miles back, and that was as good a place to start as any. She gunned the engine to life and turned the car around. Twenty miles later, she was there: a tiny no-name town on the fringes of a slightly bigger, no-name town.

Heather checked into a motel that was only marginally less dusty than her car, slept thirty-six hours straight, then pulled herself together, one frayed thread at a time. A friendly waitress at a diner got her started with a phone book and a few names. It took dozens of calls, but within a couple of days, she found a tiny bungalow to rent on the edge of town and a job—a teaching job, even. A one-room schoolhouse on a lonely outpost of a ranch had a last-minute opening. In the interview, Heather rattled off her qualifications then rushed through the reason she’d left her job in Pennsylvania so abruptly.

“A stalker,” she said. That was as close to the truth as she dared utter aloud.

It was enough—she got the job.

“It’s only for two months,” said Lana, the woman from the ranch. “Until our regular teacher comes back from emergency family leave.”

“Two months is perfect.” She’d catch her breath, earn a little cash, and then move on. Because sooner or later, the beast who hunted her would come looking. That much she knew.

The schoolhouse was a slanted old adobe, full of charm, if a little run-down, and the job was a bucking bronco, determined to pitch her off. But Heather was just as determined to hang on to this one scrap of sanity within her reach, even if it was the teaching challenge of her life. Eleven students, spread through all grades—from emerging readers to rowdy fifth graders. It took two bouncy weeks for her to convince that bronc to finally let her take the reins, but she did it. She found reserves of patience she didn’t know she had, spent hours prepping lessons, and fell into bed exhausted each night. But she did it.

Once the kids settled into a new routine, everything got easier. Mornings were quieter, afternoons smoother. Right now, the kids were at their learning stations in pairs, working quietly while Heather went over essay writing with two third-graders.

A shriek drew her attention to the back of the schoolhouse, and she looked up then ducked on instinct. Something swept straight over her head, brushing her hair. Becky was screaming, Timmy was pointing. The room erupted into noise as the other kids joined in with high-pitched squeals that resounded off the walls.

“A bat! A bat!”

It made another pass, and Heather swiped the air over her head.

“Miss Luth! Miss Luth! A bat!”

She followed the silky black form until it perched on a high shelf. A tiny, pink tongue darted out and lapped at the air between them. She could swear its beady eyes were studying her. Something about the bat seemed…evil. She held back a shudder and forced herself into action. “Timmy, get me a towel!”

For once, Timmy did as he was told. Heather approached the bat, towel in hand, kids cheering her on.

“Get it, Miss Luth! Get it!”

“Be careful, Miss Luth!”

Telling herself it was only a bat—one little bat—she lunged, but the bat was a step ahead, weaving and diving around the classroom. The noise level surged to a new peak, like a boxing arena at the first sight of blood.

“Everything OK?” A voice came from the doorway, completely unperturbed. It was soothing, like the sound of waves over a smooth sandy shore. The voice warmed her from the inside even before she spun and spotted the newcomer.

“Cody! Cody!” the children cried.

Heather’s stomach did a flip. It was him. The one she’d noticed around the ranch. The one she couldn’t not notice.

The ranch seemed to be a breeding ground for gorgeous men, but this one was in a class of his own. Lean, blond, relaxed. Most of the others came in the strong-but-silent, earthy category, but this one should be bobbing on a surfboard, swiping salt water out of his eyes. He seemed in no hurry whatsoever, as if today was just another great day of many.

The kids whipped themselves into a new frenzy, pointing at the bat, high on another shelf.

“Cody! A bat! A bat!” Timmy jumped up and down on his desk, and a panicked Becky threw herself into the man’s arms. He scooped her up and patted her back while Timmy shouted. “I saw it first! I saw it first!”

“Timmy, sit down!” Heather shot him her best teacher look.

Cody whispered to Becky, bringing a smile back to her face. Then he pointed at Timmy, eyes sparkling with mischief. “Do I know you?”

That voice could soothe a thousand wailing babies. She wanted to wrap it around her like a blanket.

“Cody! It’s me, Timmy!”

He looked at the boy then right into Heather’s eyes. Her heart skipped a beat. “I swear I don’t know this child,” he said.

“Cody!” Timmy protested.

The man tousled Timmy’s hair, stroked Becky’s back, and lowered her back to her seat. Then he stepped up to Heather, eyes utterly, unfailingly devoted to hers. She caught a breath and held it. He’d never been this close before. Never done anything but wave a friendly hello from across the way. She’d had to force herself away every time because the urge to stop and talk—to look, to get closer, maybe even to touch—was damn near impossible to resist.